Since onset of the autoclave industry, autoclaves have been used to sterilise hygiene waste products. Many of these autoclaves are used in hospital where large amounts of waste are generated and this waste needs to be sterilised prior to deployment into landfill. Medical waste is typically processed in such autoclaves as well as sanitary products. Once infected waste has passed through the autoclave process, this waste can be sent to a standard landfill site or similar. A standard autoclave however is not ideally suited to sterilise waste sanitary products as is described in further detail in the following extract of “Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center-Shreveport, Shreveport, La. USA American Journal of Infection Control (Impact Factor: 2.33).05/2004; 32(3). DOI: 10.1016/j.ajic.2004.04.013:                BACKGROUND: As healthcare institutions search for methods to decrease costs associated with medical waste disposal, many are turning to the use of steam autoclaves. Steam autoclaving theoretically saves money by sterilising large loads of medical waste, making it safe for disposal in a public landfill. There are no national standards for challenging medical waste autoclaves and no guidelines for parameters of sterilisation for medical waste. When Louisiana State University Health Sciences Centre-Shreveport (LSUHSC-S) tested one steam autoclave marketed as a medical waste autoclave, the machine repeatedly failed the tests. A complete description of the challenge testing and results are presented. METHODS: A test scenario was developed using biological indicators (BI) and chemical indicators distributed throughout four loads of clean waste, which were controlled for weight, volume, and density. BI ampules and chemical strips were wrapped inside an adult diaper, which was tied in a common plastic bag and placed inside an open medical waste bag, reflecting common diaper disposal methods. At least five prepared bags were distributed throughout each load. Loads were run at 270° F., 30 pounds per square inch (psi), for 30 minutes, or at 270° F., 30 psi, for 60 minutes.        RESULTS: Bacterial growth occurred in 18 out of 22 ampules, and chemical indicators failed in 19 out of 22 locations. CONCLUSIONS: Steam did not fully penetrate the load, and bacteria were not killed. Despite assurances from marketers of medical waste autoclaves, institutions considering this method must test autoclaves carefully to ensure safety and compliance with local health regulations. Evaluation of a Steam Autoclave for Sterilising Medical Waste at a University Health Center—ResearchGate”        
The required penetration of heat to within the product is critical for the process. To resolve this problem, patent applications have been published to address this process constraint such as EP 2 596 809 A1 where the autoclave rotates whilst having either tearing elements attached to the autoclave cylinder and/or tearing elements free-floating within the autoclave cylinder. Once the product has been “torn” heat and “steam” can easily enter the product and product components at which point the sterilisation process begins.
With this process however, four key process considerations must be outlined:                1—Processing closed product reduces process efficiency has heat & steam cannot enter the product. Forming densely packed products within an autoclave and slowly opening these products to start the sterilisation process takes time. Opening up the product as soon as possible reduces the processing time and increases efficiency of the process. Slowly opening the product via a slow tearing reduces process efficiency.        2—Quickly creating air-born fluidized agglomeration of sanitary products or parts of sanitary products allows the hot air to directly penetrate into the sanitary products or parts of sanitary products.        3—Salvaging the raw materials without damaging the materials is key for effective re-sell value, and, as such, grinding the pulp and SAP together within the autoclave is detrimental to raw materials exiting the process. Slowly opening the product within a revolving drum using which includes a significant amount of free-floating heavy parts within the autoclave cylinder also has a detrimental effect to pulp fibre quality.        4—Rotating the entire autoclave assembly adds significant cost to the equipment. Any innovative steps that can reduce the equipment cost and size will help in the global commercialisation of this process that is of significant benefit to the environment.        
U.S. Pat. No. 8,177,151 B2 describes a process where salt is added to the autoclave process in order to de-activate the SAP. However, if the SAP can be fully removed from the plastic waste components of the sanitary product, then, this process is no longer required. Adding salt to the process increase environmental impact of the overall recovery process, and as such, any process enhancements that can remove all SAP from the pulp and plastic streams is also of significant benefit to the environment.